Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow network
Encyclopedia
The Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network, or CoCoRaHS, is a network of volunteer weather watchers who take daily readings of precipitation
, and report them online or by phone.
after a flash flood
in Spring Creek caused damage to structures in the city of Fort Collins, Colorado
and killed five people.http://www.ci.fort-collins.co.us/oem/historical-flooding.php The severity of the flood surprised meteorologists, until then-assistant state climatologist Nolan Doesken began collecting rainfall measurements from private citizens in the area. About 300 responded to his emergency request. Said Doesken later, "The results of the data showed that more than 14 in. (36 cm) of rain fell over southwest Fort Collins, the area where the flood waters originated, while less than 2 in. (5 cm) of rain fell only 3-4 mi (5-6 km) east. The enthusiastic interest shown by volunteers and the great value of the data verified the need for such a service, and CoCoRaHS was born."http://www.awwa.org/communications/mainstream/2004/Jul20/Lead02raingaugevolunteers.cfm
Precipitation (meteorology)
In meteorology, precipitation In meteorology, precipitation In meteorology, precipitation (also known as one of the classes of hydrometeors, which are atmospheric water phenomena is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls under gravity. The main forms of precipitation...
, and report them online or by phone.
History
The network was started in 1997, in Larimer County, ColoradoLarimer County, Colorado
Larimer County is the seventh most populous and the ninth most extensive of the 64 counties of the State of Colorado of the United States. The county is located at the northern end of the Front Range, at the edge of the Colorado Eastern Plains along the border with Wyoming...
after a flash flood
Flash flood
A flash flood is a rapid flooding of geomorphic low-lying areas—washes, rivers, dry lakes and basins. It may be caused by heavy rain associated with a storm, hurricane, or tropical storm or meltwater from ice or snow flowing over ice sheets or snowfields...
in Spring Creek caused damage to structures in the city of Fort Collins, Colorado
Fort Collins, Colorado
Fort Collins is a Home Rule Municipality situated on the Cache La Poudre River along the Colorado Front Range, and is the county seat and most populous city of Larimer County, Colorado, United States. Fort Collins is located north of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver. With a 2010 census...
and killed five people.http://www.ci.fort-collins.co.us/oem/historical-flooding.php The severity of the flood surprised meteorologists, until then-assistant state climatologist Nolan Doesken began collecting rainfall measurements from private citizens in the area. About 300 responded to his emergency request. Said Doesken later, "The results of the data showed that more than 14 in. (36 cm) of rain fell over southwest Fort Collins, the area where the flood waters originated, while less than 2 in. (5 cm) of rain fell only 3-4 mi (5-6 km) east. The enthusiastic interest shown by volunteers and the great value of the data verified the need for such a service, and CoCoRaHS was born."http://www.awwa.org/communications/mainstream/2004/Jul20/Lead02raingaugevolunteers.cfm